And A Star To Steer Her By
by quiet-heart
Summary: Dabi's world was shattered by the events in Hawaii and Los Angles, and then tragedy struck at home. Four months later, she's struggled to rebuild her life, but that life is now in danger, thanks to a terrorist bent on making the events of Black Tom look tame. Now Gibbs, Dabi, and Fran must use all their courage, knowledge, and skill to find their way home again.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Dabi Moore-Gibbs rested her forehead on the slide of her gun as if in prayer. She was with Fran Tucker and they were both on the _Los Angeles-_class attack submarine, SSN-754, the USS _Kittery_, along with NCIS Agent Theodor Martuck. Agent Martuck, a well-built man with Navaho ancestry, was in bad shape. He'd taken a round to the shoulder while trying to hide aboard the submarine and that was where Fran and Dabi had found him.

Now, hidden in one of the control rooms, Fran was frantically trying to get information out of the agent before he passed out from blood loss.

There were terrorists on board the nearly-empty sub, and from what Martuck was saying, they were home-grown. That was always bad news, Dabi knew. The problem was trying to figure out exactly what they were up to and why. Fran did point out that whatever a terrorist was up to, the why part was never good.

The USS _Kittery_ was scheduled for a major haul-over and had been in dry dock in the Washington Naval Yard at the time, with only a skeleton crew to keep an eye on her. Fran had been working with Martuck, her new NCIS mentor, when she'd come across some funny dealings at the ship yard and gone searching. Convinced there was a ghost in the ship yard, she'd managed to drag Dabi with her, who had a pretty good idea of the layout of the Naval Yard and gone with her to try and keep her out of trouble.

_Keeping out of trouble; yeah, right,_ thought Dabi, sourly.

Seeing suspicious activity on and around the sub, Fran had called Martuck, who had gone searching for answers, with Fran right behind him and Dabi following. Now Martuck was shot and they were in hiding.

_How the hell did things get this far?_ she wondered. Her mind drifted back.

_Three months ago:_

_Help! Pop-Pop's in trouble! He can't breathe and his chest hurts!_ was the frantic message Gibbs got on his phone. Ignoring Vance and SecNav Sarah Porter, with whom he had been in a meeting with, Gibbs tore out of the room. He only just heard Vance yell after him.

"_I want a report later, Gibbs!_"

"_Where?" _Gibbs texted.

_Bakery! Hurry! The ambulance is on the way! Get Ducky, please!_

Gibbs was rapidly dialing for the medical examiner when the elevator doors whooshed open. It was Abby, and she had her ear to her phone.

"Gibbs! Pop-Pop's in trouble!" said Abby frantically.

"I just got the same message," said Gibbs. "You calling Ducky?"

"He's on his way, said he'll meet us at my truck."

"Make it mine," said Gibbs.

"You catch that, Ducky?" Abby asked. There was an apparent affirmative, because Abby hung up.

They made it to the Kranz Bakery in record time, only to see an ambulance there, with no lights flashing, and the doors open.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Abby whimpered.

They tore inside, while Ducky stopped to talk to the paramedics. In the back area there was the feeling of stunned silence.

"What happened?" Gibbs demanded to a worker. "Where's Dabi and Sharee?"

"They're in the back," said the worker, wiping her eyes.

"And David?" Abby asked hesitantly.

The worker shook her head. "They're saying it was a heart attack. He just suddenly clutched his chest, said it hurt, and he couldn't breathe."

Gibbs tore into the back room, where the office usually was, pushing and shoving as he needed to, to get to his daughter.

David was on the floor, his shirt open, and tubes and wires on him. Dabi and Sharee were seated on the couch, arms around each other tightly. Sharee was sobbing but what got Gibbs was the blank look on Dabi's face.

David was gone.

Somehow Gibbs got them out of the office and up stairs into their home. The paramedics would remove David's body and take him to the hospital for an autopsy, as per standard procedure, before transporting him to the funeral home for a Jewish funeral.

As he made coffee and tea for them, Abby and Ducky joined them.

"I spoke to the paramedics, Jethro. They're saying it was an acute myocardial infarction," said Ducky, talking to Gibbs quietly. "Possibly brought on by coronary artery disease, which Sharee had admitted David was struggling with, something he never willingly admitted to anyone but Sharee."

"A heart attack?" Gibbs repeated in disbelief.

"And a serious one. From what I was able to gather, the poor man was a walking time bomb and it was only a matter of time before his heart finally gave out." Ducky sighed heavily. "They say he fought, Jethro, that he fought hard, but he lost."

"My god," Gibbs groaned. "This is going to kill Dabi."

"It won't kill her, but I suspect you are going to have your hands full for a while," said Ducky.

Time passed in a daze for Dabi. She couldn't remember the details, just fractions of a moment.

Watching her grandfather be covered in a plain white shroud, or a tachrichim, as according to Jewish tradition, with his prayer shawl wrapped around him.

Hearing "Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu melech haolam, dayan ha'emet." from the family rabi. _Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, the true Judge. _Hearing "Baruch dayan emet," from others in the Jewish community. _ Blessed be the one true Judge_.

The cemetery. Watching Gibbs and other men carry the plain pine box to the grave, where her grandfather would be buried next to his parents, and stopping seven times to recite Psalm 91.

Sitting Shiva next to her grandmother.

Being cold. No matter how warmly she dressed, she was always cold.

Eric attended the funeral, but she could see his heart wasn't in it. She suspected he wouldn't be around much longer. Not that she cared any more. People were always leaving her.

Her mom was gone. The Navy officer died despite her best attempts to help her. The Marine died in Hawaii, trying to protect her. Jackson Gibbs, he didn't have much time left. Ziva was gone. Her dad was going to leave her one day, she was certain of that. Sharee. Azan.

The world hurt too much.

Time passed. She didn't know how long because the days seem to blend in to one another. She worked the bakery, trying to help Nana carry on. Pop-Pop had willed half the bakery to her and left a stipulation that Fran was to have free room and board for as long as she needed to, until she could find her own way in the world.

She dropped out of college, too busy with the bakery to focus on school any more.

Eric left her, unable to handle her any more. He claimed she wasn't the girl he'd known anymore, that he needed someone with more life. She hadn't responded, just took off the claddagh ring, put it on the bench they were sitting on, and walked away. Gibbs found her somewhere over by the Lincoln Memorial several hours later, sitting in front of Abe's feet, soaked to the bone and not caring.

And then came Leo.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Leo wasn't tall, wasn't muscular, but he was well-built, with tidy dirty blonde hair and brown eyes that looked as if they could see right in to her soul, and that scared Dabi. He had a Marine tattoo on one arm that was reveled when he took off his jacket at his apartment, which was more like a loft above a gym he kept an eye on for the owner in exchange for reduced rent.

She had been walking home when she'd passed a group of guys who made gestures at her suggesting she come over and join them. She'd refused and kept on walking. One of them had made a grab at her and, in no mood to be tangled with, she had swung.

That had started the fight and it was a fight she had begun to lose, due to sheer numbers.

Then Leo had intervened, just as one of them had begun ripping at her shirt. Swinging a long length of rebar and pulling kicks she was envious of, he'd managed to get enough of the gang members away long enough to grab her and haul her out of there.

He'd gotten her to a safe, well-lit area that the gang members couldn't follow them to without risk of being caught by police. Then he'd looked at her in concern.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'll live. That whole thing was stupid."

"You ain't kidding," he replied, signing.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You sign pretty good but your speech says you hear."

He grinned. "I have a little brother who's deaf. He's ten inches taller than me and would thump me faster than Road Runner if I didn't sign properly."

"If he's taller than you, why do you call him little?"

"Because he's younger than me by about ten months and I don't let him forget it!"

Dabi found herself smiling; she couldn't help it. Then she flinched when he touched her face. "You need some first aid. C'mon, I know a safe place," he said.

Curious about him, she followed him to a building that proclaimed itself to be a gym but looked more like an old industry warehouse. He lead her up the fire escape in the back to what turned out to be his apartment.

"I won't hurt you, I promise," he said as they entered the room. She looked at him nervously.

"Said the spider to the fly," she couldn't help but say.

He grinned at that. "Serious trust issues, I take it?"

"Major."

He nodded, heading for what appeared to be the kitchen and pulling out a First Aid kit. As she sat down at the small table, carefully taking off her torn and dirty jacket, he brought the kit to the table and fetched a warm, wet face cloth. As he did, a calico cat appeared at her feet, sniffing the air curiously.

It was not a big cat, but it was furry, bushy-like. He didn't have much of a tail, but he had bright yellow eyes and a fang that hung over one lip.

Dabi was intrigued. "Hello," she said, letting the cat sniff her fingers. He sniffed, then head-butted her hand in silent demand to be petted. Allowing the cat to jump up on her lap, she obliged with the demand, feeling something in her melt a little bit.

"I see you've met Rocky," said the man, coming back.

"Rocky?"

"Rocky Balboa, the boxer," he said. "I'm Leo, by the way." He showed her the sign for _lion_.

"Dabi," she said. She flinched when the warm cloth touched her split lip.

"What were you doing out there at that time of night? Pretty girl like you, thought you'd be at home, getting ready for school."

"Couldn't sleep. I work at the Kranz Bakery with my grandmother," she found herself admitting. "Thought I'd go get some coffee or something. What about you?"

"Forgot to get some cat food for Rocky," he said, carefully cleaning her cuts and scrapes. "That furball makes my life hell if I forget."

She found herself smiling.

As he cleaned her scraped knuckles, he noticed the Hawaiian tattoo under the sleeve of her short-sleeve shirt.

"Nice tat," he said.

She pushed the sleeve up the rest of the way so he could see it better. "Got it in Hawaii from a local artist."

"Hawaii, huh? Beautiful place."

"It is, when you're not being shot at," she found herself admitting.

"Shot at?" he repeated, his eyes going wide.

Dabi shrugged. "Gun runner I was able to identify while in L.A. kidnapped me and took me to Hawaii with the intention of selling me on the sex slave market."

"Jeeze. How did you get away?"

"One of the guys was to take me to a shed for holding. He wound up with my knife in the base of his skull," Dabi replied flatly. "My dad's a former Marine; he taught me how to fight with a knife."

She looked up at Leo, expecting to see horror, or at least embarrassment. Instead, she saw kindness and sympathy. "That must've been hard," he said.

For a moment Dabi could have sworn he was looking right into her soul, and from that moment on, whether she liked it or not, she was hooked.

She found herself staying longer than she'd planned on. When he pressed a warm cup of Chamomile Lemon tea into her hands and Rocky dug his claws into her legs, it was hard to do much.

She told him about L.A. and Hawaii. About her grandfather dying. About her mother being killed by a drunk driver at eleven. Losing Azan. Jarvis. Her dad and the Navy officer.

She woke up the next morning on his couch, covered by a blanket. That was the first night of many.

_Present day:_

"There's supposed to be a crew on the ship, but it's mostly seamen in their final year of training," said Fran.

"Any idea where they are?" Dabi asked. "If they've had submarine training, we may be able to use them."

"They might be in the bunk rooms or the mess halls," said Martuck.

Dabi glanced at him. "You lose any more blood and you're going to need a blood transfusion."

"Not going to happen any time soon," he said. "Not unless you can find a donor and the medical room."

"Then we need to find a map of this place, hmm?" Dabi shot back. "Ducky taught me a few things. I know we're in the area of the turbine generator because I saw the sign on the door."

"It was the closest room to the access hatch," Martuck admitted. "I don't know what room this is, but it looks like a storage closet."

"It's safe haven for now," said Fran.

"You know how to use that gun?" Martuck asked Dabi. Both Fran and Dabi glared at him. "Right. Gibbs," he said. "He would have made sure of that. Okay, make our way to the mess hall, try to stay hidden, and see if we can find the seamen. If we can, and we can convince them to help us, we may stand a chance."

"Especially since it feels like the sub is on the move," said Fran, feeling the walls.

"Uh-oh," said Martuck and Dabi.

Dabi glanced at Martuck. He was looking very pale and sickly. She knew if they didn't get him help, fast, he was going to lose that arm. "We could grab a guy and do some head thumping," she suggested. "We need more information and they're the ones who have it."

"They may not talk," Martuck warned her.

Dabi smiled coldly. "Wanna bet?"

Fran looked at Dabi with wide eyes. "I fear you."

"Too much time with Dad and interrogation," Dabi admitted. "I've learned a few things."

"Okay, get to the mess hall. Grab a guy along the way, and we go from there," said Martuck.

"Done," said Dabi. Fran nodded.

Dabi carefully opened the door and stuck her head out, keeping the gun at the ready. The turbines were indeed humming; she could feel them through the walls and the floor.

They were clear, for now. Luck was on their side; they made it down the halls toward the mess hall, thanks to the map Fran found in the room. Thankfully, subs were laid out fairly straight-forward.

"There should be a corpsman with the crew," Martuck mumbled.

"_Should be_ is the operative word," said Fran, carefully hauling her mentor down the hall.

"You're a pessimist, you know that, right?"

Fran smiled brightly at him. "A little pessimism and a whole lotta stubbornness," she said.

"What's the deal with Dabi?" he asked.

Fran smiled. "My best friend who's been through a lot. Thankfully, she's got this really great guy in her life who's been helping her find her way again. I thought she was going to kill him one day, though."

"Oh?"

Fran grinned at the memory. "I've never seen her as mad as she was that morning..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Fran: _ROFLMAO_

Gibbs: _What?_

Fran: _Leo just showed up. Threw D in the shower and told her if she wants coffee, she's going to have to earn it. She demanded to know if that involved killing him._

Gibbs: _Uh-oh_

Fran: _He said "How fast can you run?" She said, "Fast enough to murder you, you over-sized gorilla!" "Wanna bet?"_

Gibbs: _Dabi is going to kill him._

Fran: _She has to catch him first LMAO Oh was she mad! Especially since he turned the shower on her after yanking her out of bed without warning LMAO You could hear the screams through the whole building!_

Gibbs: _Oh my god_

Fran: _She came down stairs, dressed, saw him, yelled he'd better run, and he took off laughing. She followed and haven't seen her since. Haven't seen her that mad in a long time. Can we keep him?_

Gibbs: _If she kills him, call me first._

Fran_: He said his plan was to get her mad enough to chase him, which would get her moving. If she's moving, she's active, which, according to him, can help heal both the mind and the body._

Gibbs_: He has a point._

Fran: _He plans to introduce her to kickboxing. Said the physical demands can be a great stress reliever. Apparently he's studying physical therapy and plans to work with injured and recovering military personnel._

Gibbs: Good _man. I'll warn DiNozzo Dabi's kicks are about to get meaner._

Fran: _*grins evilly*_

_Present day:_

"Did she ever catch him?" Martuck asked, snickering.

"I guess so. She said she changed the rules of the game and tackled him in the Yard. Apparently the guards recognized her because they let them by even though she was chasing him." Fran smiled. "He makes her smile and I haven't seen that in a while, not since Pop-Pop, her grandfather, died. Then Gibor was killed and he stopped her from doing something really, really stupid, like beating the guy who hit Gibor, to death."

"Gibor?"

"Her second hearing dog," said Fran, eyes darkening at the memory. "He was chasing a ball at a park and it got away from him. Some dumb punk came around the corner too fast and didn't see Gibor until it was too late."

_Two months ago:_

Dabi was screaming. She didn't know what else to do or why she was screaming. All she knew for certain was that her beloved dog, Gibor, was dead. When she saw the driver, some young guy, it was only strong arms that kept her from trying to hurt him.

She didn't understand what was going on, what people were saying. It was a blur, all of it a blur.

She had been at the park, playing with Gibor while waiting for Leo. They were supposed to go running together again and he was going to show her some new kickboxing techniques that she could do against an attacker.

A glance at the wrist that was holding her showed her the watch that she recognized as having seen Leo wear. It was Leo who was holding her.

"Let me go!" she yelled. "That bastard just killed my dog! Let me go!"

But Leo didn't let her go. Perhaps it was just as well. The world spun and the next thing Dabi remembered was coming to on the ground, snuggled against Leo's chest. A paramedic was examining her, concern on his face.

Just like when Pop-Pop had died, time passed by in a daze. The world was dark and cold. Dabi wasn't so sure she wanted to live anymore, not when she hurt this much.

But Leo wouldn't let her. He wouldn't leave her alone. He let her grieve for a few days, then he dragged her out of bed and, with her dad's help (the traitor), shoved her into the shower and out the door. He forced her to run, to chase him. He forced her to keep living and she wanted to hate him for it.

Eventually, after the tears came, the light started coming again and Dabi found herself spending less time in the darkness and more time at the bakery and with Leo and her family.

_Present day:_

"If it hadn't been for Leo, I think we would have lost Dabi," Fran admitted. "There's the mess hall."

As they hid in a corner, keeping an eye out for trouble, Dabi carefully entered the mess hall. A dozen heads suddenly snapped towards her, eyes eager and expectant.

"Who are you, ma'am?" one seaman asked.

"Dabi Moore-Gibbs. Keep the voice down and your ears open," she snapped, scanning the room. She gestured towards the other door. "That door locked?" she asked.

"No ma'am," said another seaman.

"Lock it," she said, stepping inside and gesturing for Fran and Martuck to follow.

"Why?" said one arrogant-looking seaman, stepping forward.

"You know what NCIS is?" she asked.

"Naval Command Investigative Service," said the first seaman. "Navy cops."

"And Marine," said Dabi. "Which means if I say it, do it, or I'll find something to charge you with." Her voice booked no argument. "Now!"

Someone locked the other door and a young woman with black hair pulled into a bun stepped forward towards Martuck. "I'm Hospitalman Seaman Willows," she said. "You need medical attention, sir."

"He's going to need a blood transfusion," said Fran. "Think you know how to do that?"

"I know the theory, ma'am, but I've never done it before," Willows admitted. "The medical room would have what we need though."

"And you already have your donor," said Dabi. "I'm Type O Pos."

"Universal donor; perfect," said Willows, grabbing the First Aid kit.

"I'm Seaman Bradford," said the arrogant seaman. "What are you doing here and where is Captain Renard?"

"Agent Martuck, NCIS. I don't know where your captain is, but I suspect he's in a world of trouble. There's terrorists on the sub and we're moving. I don't know where or why, but if there's terrorists here, then their reasoning isn't going to be good," said Martuck, wincing as Willows carefully tended to him.

"Why should we listen to you?" Bradford demanded.

"Cocky little shit, aren't you?" said Martuck. He managed to get his badge out and shoved it towards Bradford. "That badge gives me a whole lotta Can-Do's, buddy. These two girls, Fran Tucker and Dabi, are with me and with NCIS."

"They're kinda young," said another seaman.

"So are you," said Fran. "You look like you're not even old enough to be graduating yet."

"I'm twenty-three!" protested the seaman.

"Old enough to know better, young enough not to care," Fran snipped, grinning, which took the sting out of her words and caused the seaman to grin at her.

"I love that song," he said.

"We need to get a message out," said Dabi. "Can we do that with the sub under water?"

"No," said another seaman. "I'm Seaman Connor and my specialty is Communications. Once we're under water, it's kind of difficult. We could use a VLF radio wave if we were near the surface, but the bandwidth is very narrow. If we use the baudot code, we could get of more than 600 and 700 words per minute, compared to the other methods, such as 7 or 8-bit ASCII. It depends on who you're sending the message to."

"NCIS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.?" Dabi asked.

"It would have to be pretty specific," Connor cautioned.

"I already have a message and person in mind," said Dabi.

"Then get me a communications console, get me to periscope depth, and I'll get the message out," Connor promised.

"Why should we listen to them?" Bradford demanded. "For all we know, they could be the terrorists!"

"We don't know," said another seaman, stepping forward. "But I know someone in NCIS, a buddy of my dad's, and I've heard the name Gibbs before. I've seen their badges, and that's the real thing. We haven't seen Captain Renard in over half an hour, since he went to talk to the guy in charge. You know yourself that's not good news."

"So? They could be the cause of his disappearance," Bradford snapped.

Dabi sighed heavily. "Look. You guys don't have to listen to us. That's fine; that's your right. But understand something; there are terrorists on this sub and whatever they have planned, it can't be good. I intend to stop them, one way or another. This is your sub. You're supposed to be the Navy. Act like it."

"How would you know? You're not Navy," Bradford sneered.

That did it. Dabi tucked the gun in the back of her pants, after making sure the safety was on, and got right in his face. "You're right; I'm not Navy. I never will be and I most definitely don't want to be. I'm not even really NCIS; my dad is. He's also a former Marine and he taught me a thing or two about courage. I know what it's like to be scared, so scared your blood feels cold. I also know what it's like to stand up and fight even when your hands are shaking." She looked at each and every seaman in the eye. "Right now, boys and girls, this is your ship, your submarine. You're going to be graduating soon, joining the ranks of the rest of the Navy. You say you're the best. Prove it. Fight or die. It's your choice, but I, for one, am not going to stick around and watch you bunch of tightwad pansies listen to this beaver-faced, arrogant little prick while me and my friends here try and do what is technically _your_ job! You fight, you fight hard, and you make these terrorist dickbrains wish they'd never even heard of you. _Is that clear?_"

To Fran, Martuck, and Dabi's surprise, the dozen seamen suddenly snapped to attention and saluted her.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" they said in union.

"Call me that again and I'll head-slap you so fast your head will be at the hull before your feet even realize you've moved," Dabi growled, her face flushing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Where the hell was Dabi?_ Gibbs wondered for about the third time in the past hour. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his gut, and she wasn't answering her text messages. In fact, his phone was telling him her messages weren't going through.

"McGee, find Dabi," Gibbs barked at his agent.

Having gotten used to that particular request, Tim started doing so. Then he looked at his computer in confusion. "That can't be right," he said, tapping some keys to verify his findings.

"What?" Gibbs demanded, coming over to his desk.

"According to the system, Dabi's in the ocean and heading steadily in a north-westerly direction."

"That can't be good," said Tony, joining them. He watched as Tim put a map up on the plasma screen and they all watched as the tiny dot representing Dabi's cell phone moved steadily.

"Is that a ship?" Gibbs demanded.

"I don't know; if I can get access to a satellite, we can find out," said Tim.

"Do it," said Gibbs.

"Just out of curiosity..." Tim mumbled, tapping at his keyboard. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Gibbs snapped.

"An uh-oh from Timmy is never good. In fact, an uh-oh is an 'we got trouble'," said Tony.

"We may. I checked Fran Tucker's cell phone. Guess what; it's in the same location and traveling at the same speed as Dabi's," said Tim. "Checking to see who else might be there..." He looked up at Gibbs. "Do you know an Agent Theodor Martuck?"

"Yeah; good agent. He with them?" Gibbs demanded.

"Or at least his cell phone is," said Tim. Fingers flying, he quickly pulled up Martuck's last report. "Last report was a call-in. Said he was investigating suspicious activities around the USS _Kittery, _a submarine."

"Details on the sub," said Gibbs.

"Supposed to be in the Yard for a systems over-haul and a visit from some seamen in the final year," said Tim. He got up from his desk. "I'm going to MTAC to access the satellite. If it is the _Kittery _that's on the move, then maybe we can contact them, find out what's going on," he said.

"Do it," said Gibbs.

"You thinking trouble, boss?" Tony asked.

"I don't know, but I don't believe in coincidences," Gibbs replied, scowling.

"Right, Rule Thirty-nine: there is no such thing as a coincidence," said Tony.

"Exactly," said Gibbs. "Something is going on and I want to know what."

"But there's also Rule Ten: never get personally involved on a case," Tony reminded him.

"When it comes to my daughter, I broke that rule months ago," Gibbs shot back. _Please, God, I just got my daughter back. I don't want to lose her all over again..._

He had seen the recent change in Dabi. She was happy, she was loving, and quite possibly falling in love again, this time with Leo.

Leonard "Leo" Benson was a good kid, from a good family, and with his eye on the future. He was studying physical therapy and planning to help injured and recovering military personnel. He also had it bad for Dabi, bad enough to be willing to fight for her.

Gibbs mind went back.

_A month ago:_

Gibbs was making his way through a park when something caught his attention. It appeared to be two people barreling down the hill that was part of the park. Both were wearing sweats and as they drew closer, Gibbs realized he recognized his daughter as the one chasing what looked like Leo.

Then Gibbs winced, eyes wide, as Dabi suddenly leaped off a tree stump and tackled Leo hard. That sent the pair of them tumbling to the ground, sending fallen leaves scattering in all directions. To his surprise, the pair of them lay on the ground, chests heaving, and then Gibbs heard the one sound he'd missed badly; Dabi was laughing. It was a child-like, happy laugh, and Leo was laughing with her.

They sat up and Leo reached over to pull a leaf out of Dabi's hair. There was something almost tender about the gesture, especially with the way he tucked her hair behind her ear and the way she smiled at him.

Then Dabi spotted Gibbs and she waved, smiling. She said something to Leo and he nodded. They both stood up and jogged over to him. To Gibbs' surprise, Dabi hugged him and said, "Hi Dad. Whatcha up to?"

Gibbs waggled his coffee and said, "Getting my coffee. You?"

"Chasing after Leo again," said Dabi, grinning.

"I noticed. Nice tackle."

"She's getting better at that," said Leo, grinning and signing.

"I should be; the number of times I've done it!" Dabi shot back.

"You two want some ice cream?" Gibbs asked impulsively. "My treat."

Dabi's eyes lit up. "That's the best idea I've heard all day. Lead on."

At the ice cream shop, Dabi excused herself to use the washroom, giving Gibbs a chance to talk to Leo.

"She's my daughter. I have the right to know of your intentions towards her," said Gibbs, getting right to the point.

"Fair enough," said Leo. "I don't know what's going to happen between us, but I do know that she makes me feel things I've never felt before. When I'm not with her, I miss her and my world feels empty. When I am with her, it feels like the sun finally came out after a long winter. I make every excuse I can think of just to talk to her or to be with her. And the best part? It feels like my heart jumps whenever she initiates the conversation."

"You know about Eric?"

"I do. He's better known as the village idiot. He may be a cop in the making, but he's clearly not a man in the making if he can't handle someone changing like Dabi changed. Way I see it, his loss was my gain."

Gibbs had to resist the smirk that crossed his face. "She's been through some tough times," he said.

"I know, and I know she's still got a ways to go. But I want her in my life, sir, and that means I'm going to fight for her, and if I have to fight her personally, I will." The look in Leo's eyes told Gibbs he was serious.

Gibbs nodded. "Good enough for me," he said.

A few days later, Fran sent Gibbs a picture and Gibbs swore he felt his breath stop. Apparently Leo had invited Dabi to a family function, his excuse being that his mom was nagging him to bring home a girl. Dabi, for the first time in months, had gotten dressed up.

She was wearing a short black dress that was elegantly off set by sheer long sleeves and glittering silver sequins at the cuffs and hem. It had elegant draping at the V-neckline that softened it and she had added nice black velvet heels. With sparkling cubic zirconia studs in her ears, and her face made up, she looked beautiful. A little work on her hair had almost brought it back to her natural red color.

And the best part? She was smiling. Really smiling.

Gibbs had high-tailed it down to the nearest photo store and managed, upon Tim's advice, to get the picture printed up properly. It would take a place of honor on his desk, alongside Dabi's graduation photo.

The next time Gibbs saw Dabi, she was wearing an interlocked silver heart and opalite Star of David pendant that gleamed in the artificial lighting. She blushed when he mentioned it.

"It was a gift from Leo," she admitted.

Gibbs smirked. The girl was falling hard, and Leo was right behind.

_Present day:_

"Hey boss?" Tony said quietly.

"Yeah, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked absently.

"Ran in to our not-so-favorite boy toy the other day."

"Who?"

"Eric Armstrong," Tony clarified.

"What about him?"

"Seems he saw Dabi and Leo a few days ago and wanted to know what the deal was. Me thinks Pretty Boy was jealous."

_Yesterday:_

"His name's Leo. I don't know how they met," said Tony, taking a sip of his iced cappuccino, "but I do know she's been hanging with him for a while now. He makes her smile and he's dragged her out of some pretty serious depression, and in Gibbs' eyes, he's good enough." He smirked. "He's been teaching her kickboxing and let me tell you, she's getting good."

Eric nodded. "What's he got that I don't?" he asked.

Tony tipped his head and grinned even wider. "_Her_, Pretty Boy. You walked away from her when she needed you the most. Leo helped her pick up the pieces that you were too wimpy to handle."

"She changed!" Eric protested. "She wasn't the girl I knew anymore!"

"Shoving a knife through someone's head and being kidnapped and almost sold as a sex slave, that would change anyone," said Tony sarcastically. "Oh, and let's not forget about being shot at and not remembering who you are, yeah, that's gonna do a number on someone. You just couldn't handle it, and Leo was right there and has been there when things got so bad with her we thought we were going to be burying her next to her mother. So you tell me, who's the better man? Because in my eyes, Eric, it ain't you." Tony glared at the flushing young man. "You left her. She moved on. Get over it."

_Present day:_

Gibbs smirked. "Good work, DiNozzo." Then Gibbs' desk phone rang. It was Tim and he had news.

"_It's the _Kittery_, boss, and it's on the move. That's bad news. The badder news? Fran, Dabi, and Martuck are on it and so are the dozen seamen. I just checked reports; the _Kittery _is officially being listed as missing and you're about to get a call from Vance and SECNAV._"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Gibbs' phone rang; it was Leo and he wanted to know if Gibbs knew where Dabi was. Apparently she wasn't answering his messages and he was supposed to meet up with her earlier that day.

"Right now, she's on a sub heading north-east," said Gibbs.

"What? How? Why?" Leo demanded.

"We don't know," said Gibbs, preparing the usual pat answer he usually gave to worried people. But Leo beat him to it.

"Don't tell me you'll keep me appraised," he snapped. "I'll be at NCIS in ten, and where you go, I go." And he hung up.

"Kid's a keeper," said Gibbs, putting his phone away.

"Leo?" Tony guessed.

"Mm-hm. He's on his way over."

"I'll let Security know," said Tony.

They were in MTAC and Vance was with them. They had been trying to raise the _Kittery_ for the previous five minutes and no one was responding. The sub was traveling just under the surface, where radio contact was possible.

"Unless their radio is damaged, I don't know why they're not responding," said Tim.

"Are there any ships in the area?" Vance asked.

"The _Missouri _is headed for Norfolk," said Tim, after checking.

"Contact them," said Vance.

It took a few minutes but the captain of the _Missouri_ was soon on the screen.

"_Captain Ford here, Director. What can I do for you, sir?_"

"We're tracking a sub in your area that is not responding to radio hails," said Vance. "It's the USS _Kittery_. I want you to follow it discretely."

Ford glanced at someone off-screen and then said, "_Got 'em. Tracking them now. Possible hostile?_"

"We don't know. We do know GPS is saying there's an NCIS agent onboard and his last report mentioned possible suspicious activity," said Vance. "Your orders are to track that sub as best as you can. Intercept any communications they may send out and let us know. Do not engage in hostilities unless fired upon or ordered to do so."

"_Understood, sir_," said Ford.

"Captain, if you get a message from Dabi Moore-Gibbs or Fran Tucker, I want to know ASAP," said Gibbs. "They're onboard and we don't know why."

"_Hearing you loud and clear_," said Ford. "_Should we attempt contact?_"

"Not at this moment, Captain. Just monitor them and be prepared for hostile action. We don't know what's going on or why," said Vance.

"_Understood._ Missouri _out_."

The screen went blank before changing back to the satellite image of the _Kittery_.

"She hasn't changed course or speed," Tim reported.

"Plot her course," said Gibbs.

Tim did. "If she stays true, she'll be in Norfolk in about an hour."

"Norfolk?" Tony repeated. "That can't be good."

"Who've we got there?" Gibbs asked.

"Three destroyers, four subs, and about six carriers," said Tim, reading from a list.

"And a sub that's not responding to hails is on the way," said Vance.

"Terrorists?" Gibbs asked. "Martuck did mention suspicious activity."

"If terrorists do use the sub to attack the harbor, we could have a lot of casualties," said Vance.

"Might want to get those guys on alert," said Gibbs.

"Already thinking about what to tell the Secretary," Vance said, sighing heavily.

Upon hearing Dabi was in trouble, Leo went running straight to NCIS. Security let him in after hearing his name and who he was there to see. Then he was greeted by Tony DiNozzo, who took him up to MTAC, a very cool room with a freaking huge video screen.

Football games would be great on here, he thought fleetingly.

"Where is Dabi?" he asked.

"You see those dots on the map?" Gibbs asked. When Leo nodded, Gibbs said, "That's where. We've got a ship following them but so far we haven't heard anything."

"Whatever happened must've happened before Dabi or Fran could get a message out," said Tony.

"And now?" Leo asked.

"They're probably traveling under water, where communication is dicey at best," said Tim. "They would have to surface to at least periscope depth to get a signal out."

"That's where the _Missouri_ comes in," said Tony. "She'll be intercepting anything the _Kittery_ sends out."

"The Mighty Mo to the rescue," said Leo, smirking.

"You know the ship?" Gibbs asked.

"Just stories my grandma used to tell me," Leo replied absently. "She was a Navy nurse during the Korean War." He chuckled as a memory surfaced. "Funny; Dabi reminds me of her, especially her temper."

"That good, huh?" Tim asked.

"She never let Gramps get away with much. Way she used to tell it, he and his buddies used to pull some pretty crazy stunts and she'd be right there, ready to raise hell over it."

"They married long?" Gibbs asked.

"Over sixty years, and according to Gramps, loving every minute of it," Leo replied. "Dabi met them at the family reunion and now Grandma keeps asking me when am I going to get smart and marry that girl. I told her I will, when I finish college in about two years and that's only if Dabi agrees." He glanced at Gibbs and grinned. "And that's if you don't kill me first. Dad always said dads get the last word on the guys in their daughter's life, no matter how old they get."

"Your dad's a Marine, right?" Tim asked.

"Missing a leg and still kicking the other guys around the court," said Leo, nodding. "When he came home that last time, he sunk into a pretty nasty depression. Mom refused to give up on him. It was tough, on all of us, but we managed. She pulled him out and now he spends his days helping others do the same."

"Just like you did for Dabi," said Tony.

Leo's mind went back.

_Broken._ He realized that the first time she spoke to him about her past. What she told him had been tame compared to the stories he'd heard from the guys and girls who had come back from their tours, but that didn't make it any less horrifying. Killing a human being was never an easy thing to do for the good ones, and Dabi was good.

Something stirred wthin Leo that first night. He became determined to be the friend she needed. Then, when Gibor died, she latched on to him like a drowning woman, for she was drowning, in sorrow.

But she got better.

She began to fight back. To laugh. To tease. To give as good as she got.

And somewhere along the line, Leo realized he was falling in love.

And the best part? She seemed to feel the same way.

The way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't looking. How her eyes lit up when she saw him. The way she had blushed but couldn't take her eyes off him when he took his shirt off in the gym once. How she never seemed to take off that pendant he'd given her on impulse at the family reunion party. The way she reached for his hugs and never seemed to be in any hurry to leave once she was there.

There had been one time, not too long ago, when he'd caught her looking at him after a work-out session, and there had been something in her eyes. It was almost like desire, like need.

Like she was aware of him.

Before he could give in to the urge to kiss her, the moment had passed. He'd sworn right there and then that if such a moment occurred again, he would not let it slip away so easily next time.

She wasn't just a girl who needed help any more. No, she was a girl he was falling very hard for.

That had been something his mom had asked him about one time. He'd had to think about it long and hard.

Then she'd text him and he realized the answer.

_Maybe at first, but not now._

Now, with Dabi in trouble, come hell or high water, even if he had to pull stunts his grandpa would be proud of, he was going to help save her again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A hard, fast jab, worthy of a boxer, brought the man down quietly. When he came to, he found himself firmly bound to a chair and facing several angry people.

"Hello," said Dabi. "Welcome aboard the _Kittery_. We don't know who you are or where you're from but we are very interested in knowing what you're doing." She was seated nearby, a needle and tube in her arm that was connected to Martuck, blood flowing between them as Dabi gave Martuck a donation. Willows was watching closely.

They had nabbed the man when Dabi and Willows had opened the door to get to the medical room. Now he was bound and about to face a crowd of very angry Navy personnel.

"I won't talk!" said the man, a heavy-set gentleman in his mid-thirties.

"That's okay," said Fran. She held up his Blackberry and waggled it. "Your Smartphone told us plenty, like your name. Everyone, say hello to Chris Evans."

"Hello, Chris Evans," said a dozen voices, none of them cheerful or particularly welcoming.

Fran thumbed through the device. "It seems you're on a bit of a schedule; you need to be at the hatch in about fifteen minutes I don't think you're going to make that appointment."

"Fuck you, bitch!" Chris snarled. He was rewarded by a swift punch from one of the seamen.

"Be nice; there are ladies present," said the seaman.

"Nice gun, by the way," said Dabi, holding up the weapon. The clip was on the table and the slide was back, indicating it was completely empty. "This means weapon charges."

"I got rights!" Chris yelled. "The Second Amendment gives me the right to bear arms in this country! It gives me the right to defend it against people who would destroy it, even from within!"

"The National Homefront Movement," said Fran, reading from the Smartphone. "Dedicated to protecting the ideals of our forefathers." She looked up and asked, "So what does stealing a sub have to do with that?"

Chris smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said. "Let's just say it'll be a bang-up of a party and maybe that nigger of a president will finally bring our troops home."

"Oy vey," Dabi groaned. "Who wants to kick him in the balls?"

"Can I?" Fran asked eagerly. Several other hands shot up as well. Chris looked a little green at the thought and Martuck smirked.

"Here's the thing, Mr. Evans," said Dabi, eyes turning cold. "The Second Amendment gives you the right to bear arms and defend your country, that's all very true. However, what you, in your arrogance, fail to realize, is that same amendment gives me the same right to defend my country against losers like you." She looked at Willows, who was carefully monitoring the blood flow between her and Martuck. "Think that's enough?" she asked.

"That should keep him stable for now. I'm going to disconnect you two."

"Good." Dabi reached behind her and removed her own gun. "Anyway, getting back on track." Barrel pointed towards the ceiling, she pulled the hammer back on the gun. "Daddy dearest is a former Marine. He taught me how to shoot. Personally, I don't enjoy it, but hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do." She brought the gun down and leveled it at his knee. "I can. I will. I have done. And I will do so again."

Chris swallowed hard. He had seen cold eyes before and this girl, she was right there with them.

"Talk," she said. "Or I start with your knee. Maybe. My hand's a little shaky at the moment and there's almost a guarantee I'll miss."

He talked.

They were headed to Norfolk to attack the harbour. And the best part was they had a dumb, gullible kid reprogramming the sub's computer so it could attack on its own.

"How? The missiles have to be fired manually." Bradford asked.

Chris smirked. "They're being loaded and reprogrammed as we speak."

"Right," sighed a seaman, Carver. "With the right program, they can be deployed to attack a specific target. But they still need to be manually fired, so unless some dumb fool is willing to die for your cause, the missiles won't fire."

"We have a dumb fool," Chris boasted. "You won't get him the way you got me."

"Wanna bet?" Martuck asked, sitting up carefully.

"Won't take much," said Dabi.

"Not without a firefight," said Chris.

"Who said anything about a firefight?" Willows asked innocently.

"By the way, where is Captain Renard?" someone asked.

The way Chris smiled had Dabi worried. She stood up carefully and, without warning, punched him hard. He went back and out.

"Put a gag and a guard on this bird brain," said Dabi. She glanced at Willows. "You said something about getting control of the weapons room without a firefight?"

"Anesthetic gas; I saw a tank in the medical room," said Willows.

"Shut off the vents leading to the other parts of the sub and flood the room," said Seaman Gill.

"How long and how fast?" Fran asked. "And will they realize it before they can put a mask on?"

"No odor, and if we use the whole tank, fast," said Willows. "We can vent it on the surface."

"We have to get to the surface. Anyone know how to drive one of these things?" Fran asked. Two hands went up. "Fine. You're with me." She pointed to the seaman who had hit Chris the first time. "So are you."

"Who knows what vents to shut off?" Martuck asked. Another hand shot up, including Gill's. "You're with me," he said, trying not to groan in pain as he sat up. "We're going to need gas masks and radios."

"I know where to find those," said another seaman.

"Find 'em and distribute them. You see a terrorist, you take them down if you can," said Martuck.

"We need to get a message out to NCIS," said Dabi.

"That's where I come in," said Collins.

"Which means you're with me," said Dabi.

"Word of warning," said Bradford. "If we have to do an emergency blow, things could get rocky, so be prepared."

"Emergency blow?" Fran repeated, confused. "That sounds more like a sex act than a sub maneuver."

Someone choked in suppressed laughter and there were a few snickers.

"You ever seen a whale breech the surface?" Martuck asked.

"Sure," said Fran.

"Same concept. The sub comes up hard and fast."

"So do the guys when I get my hands on them," Fran signed to Dabi with a smirk, causing Dabi's face to go red.

She handed Martuck his weapon back and reloaded Chris's weapon.

"Okay, let's do this. If anyone finds Captain Renard, do what you can to help him. Keep your head down and your eyes and ears open. We need to find the gullible kid who's running the programs and the dingleball running this show, as well as Captain Renard," said Dabi. "You have your assignments. If you don't, figure it out."

"I look enough like this guy to pass for him," said Seaman Kramer, coming forward. "It might buy us some time."

"Do it," said Martuck.

Kramer, with the help of his friends, did in record time.

He lead the way to the control room, managing to avoid running in to anymore of the NHM.

"Hey Evans, where you been, man?" someone called.

"Had to use the head," Kramer called back as he stepped into the room. Then he grabbed a guy sitting at one of the controls and introduced his face to the panel.

"You're not Evans!" the first person realized.

"And you're not supposed to be here," said Kramer, going for the speaker.

Dabi and Collins were right behind him. The fight was short but brutal but in the end the bad guys were down and the good guys were still standing. The bad guys were quickly rounded up, three total, and bound with their shirts and belts. Collins found his spot at Communications and Kramer knew his way around Sonar and Radar.

"We're about fifty meters below the surface, traveling at about eighty miles an hour," Kramer reported.

"Are we being followed?" Dabi asked.

"There's two ships on the surface, one keeping pace with us and one just on the edge of the radar," Kramer confirmed.

"We would have been noticed missing by now," said Dabi. "Place bets that's our watch dog, and the other one could be the pick-up guy for these guys."

"I didn't know NCIS could reroute ships like that," said Kramer.

"If the order comes from the Director, then yes, they can," said Dabi. She turned to Collins. "Well?"

"I can get a message out but I'd rather be closer to the surface," said Collins.

"Prep it," said Dabi.

"Prepping," said Collins. "Who and what?"

"NCIS, Washington Navy Yard. Attention Director Vance and Agent Gibbs. Priority Black. _Kittery_ to attack Norfolk via Nat Homefront Move. Gibbs Rules 35, 40, and 44. M-G Rule 5 include Leo."

It was an unusual message, but Collins saw the look on Dabi's face when she said the last part. He might not understand what the Rules were, but he understood enough to know they were important.

Then Dabi was nearly sent tumbling to the deck and both Collins and Kramer were slammed into their seats.

"And we're blowing," said Collins, fingers flying over his keyboard.

"Forty meters and rising fast," Kramer reported. "Thirty. Twenty. Ten. We're at periscope depth. Surface."

"Sending message now," Collins reported.

"We have the Missouri on the surface," Kramer reported.

"They'll probably intercept the message, which is fine," said Dabi. "That means it'll get someone's attention faster."

_NCIS Headquarters:_

"MTAC is yelling," Tim reported. "The _Missouri_ just intercepted a message from the _Kittery_, and it's Priority Black."

Gibbs didn't walk to MTAC, he ran, with Leo, Tim, and Tony right behind him. Vance was there a moment later.

"_NCIS, Washington Navy Yard. Attention Director Vance and Agent Gibbs. Priority Black_. Kittery _to attack Norfolk via Nat Homefront Move. Gibbs Rules 35, 40, and 44. M-G Rule 5 include Leo_," read off Captain Ford. "_I'm assuming that means something to you fellows._"

"Rule 35: always watch the watchers," said Gibbs. "That means see who's following you guys and the sub. Rule 40: if you think someone's out to get you, they are. This National Homefront Movement is no joke; they're serious."

"And Rule 44?" Leo asked.

"First things first; hide the women and children," said Gibbs. "We're being told to evacuate Norfolk Harbor." He sighed heavily. "Dabi's Rule 5 is always tell the ones you love that you love them, because you may not get the chance again." He glanced at the younger man, whose face had gone pale. "And she's including you."

That did it.

"If she gets hurt because of these bastards..." Leo hissed.

"We'll be right beside you," Gibbs promised.


End file.
